Some people say that the key to happiness is money, and others say that money is the root of all evil. So who’s right? How should Christians think about money and finances? What does the Bible say about wealth? One of the biblical characters we can learn most from is Solomon. Solomon was the wealthiest man on earth and the wisest leader to rule. He knew both the problems and the privileges that great wealth offered. As Christians, we can learn the best way to handle our money through his experience in Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-13 says, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt.”
He goes on to explain that he’s seen a man lose all his money in a bad venture and have nothing left for his son. In the end, he says we all come from our mother’s womb with nothing and leave this life with nothing, so money is futile.
When most of us think about wealth, we don’t approach it with so much cynicism. In our world, money is necessary for almost anything you need or want. We all want to live without worrying about paying the next bill or putting food on the table. We want to be comfortable and provided for…is that so bad? This passage in Ecclesiastes tells us two things:
Money Can’t Buy Happiness
The reality is money can’t make you happy. Just look at Solomon. He was the wealthiest man alive, and he still wasn’t happy. If his insane wealth and huge palace weren’t enough to buy his happiness, then maybe money isn’t the solution to all our problems. Even if you know this cognitively, sometimes it’s hard to believe when the American dream is so based on material possessions and financial success. And even if it’s not the riches you’re after, a love for money can present itself in several ways.
Some people are big savers. Their goal is not to buy a big house or a new car. Instead, they want to save money, invest it, and watch it grow. They find safety and security in their 401Ks, mutual funds, stocks, and bonds. If the stock market were to crash, it may also destroy their happiness and shatter their sense of security. They may live relatively modest lives, but in a way, they believe that money can buy happiness as long as it’s growing their net worth.
Some people have no interest in mutual funds or big houses but have a spending problem. When the paycheck hits their account, they fill their cart or order Doordash. When they have a hard day, they go shopping. After a breakup, they buy something to make them feel better. They may not care much about their net worth, but their emotional well-being is attached to their purchases. When they are sad or troubled, they use money to salve the wound.
Accumulated wealth will not bring you lasting satisfaction. But how many of us chase it? It’s like a dog after a bone. How many of us are consumed by it? Those who don’t have money pursue it, and those who do have it become accustomed to a particular lifestyle until they can’t go without it. But even so, money and possessions are not the problems. It’s the love of money that Solomon is speaking against. He’s against looking for wealth to give you something only God can provide.
When someone starts talking about giving from the pulpit, do you begin to get a little nervous? That might signify that your wallet is starting to creep onto your heart’s throne and into a place reserved for Christ and Christ alone. We call this an idol. So stop chasing wealth and start chasing God.
You Can’t Take It With You
You do not see U-Haul trailers attached to the back of a hearse on the way to the graveyard. If you can’t take it with you, what’s the point? Solomon points out that the more money you have, the more problems you have. It’s easy to believe the lie that money will fix every problem we have, but the reality is that it will only multiply your problems. Paying taxes will get more complicated, managing and moving funds will be complex, and you will have to spend more time managing, cleaning, and maintaining your stuff. Suddenly you’ll have cluttered houses to organize, storage units to manage, and garage sales to run. No matter how many assets you leave in your will, your legacy won’t be in the stuff that’s left when you’re gone, and you can’t bring it with you, either. Solomon notes that it’s all meaningless at the end of the day.
Jesus himself said it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. If you become wealthy, it will be much harder to see your need for God since you can provide for yourself. It’s hard for the rich to let somebody else be the master of their life because they’re used to being in control.
Jesus is not attacking wealth. He is attacking your affection for it and your affiliation with it. Are you willing to sell all your possessions and give them to the poor? He is not prescribing this as the command for every Christian to follow. Instead, he’s saying there will be a great reward in heaven for those who value Jesus more than any earthly possession. In this story, the rich young ruler went away forlorn. We don’t know the ending, but he may have been unwilling to part with his stuff. We are meant to see how tragic this is, especially since all his material possessions will break, fade, or deteriorate over time. This man is being offered something with eternal value, and he can’t let go of his lesser treasure.
1 Timothy 6:10 does not say money is evil. This verse states that the love of money is the root of all evil. Some people who have longed for it have wandered away from their faith. So much grief comes from making money more than God ever intended it to be. We must not let wealth and possessions define us. We must let Jesus define us. Once you have Christ the Lord properly placed on the throne of your heart, where only He belongs, He will help you use your possessions for His glory.
Next Steps
Most Americans would be considered wealthy compared to the rest of the world. What have you done with that wealth? If you seek him first, He will deliver you from the temptation of possessions and help you leverage your wealth for His glory. The Bible says none of us are owners. We’re only stewards. When we let Him be the owner, everything starts to change. You begin to see money and wealth as opportunities to give him glory instead of opportunities to grow in personal greatness. Take the challenge and see what God does. When you give back to God from the generosity you see in Him, other people will see Him in you.
